Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on MOS. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Mosaic from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $30.00 to $40.00 in a report on Thursday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Mosaic from $29.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Mosaic in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and set a $40.00 target price (up from $33.00) on shares of Mosaic in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, CIBC raised their target price on Mosaic from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $34.58.

Mosaic Stock Down 4.4%

MOS stock opened at $34.80 on Friday. Mosaic has a twelve month low of $22.36 and a twelve month high of $37.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market cap of $11.04 billion, a PE ratio of 30.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a 50 day moving average of $30.73 and a 200 day moving average of $27.71.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.04. Mosaic had a return on equity of 6.00% and a net margin of 3.24%. The company had revenue of $2.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.65 earnings per share. Mosaic's revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Mosaic will post 2.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Walter F. Precourt III sold 18,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.73, for a total transaction of $643,140.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 128,546 shares in the company, valued at $4,592,948.58. This represents a 12.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mosaic

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Mosaic by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,368,596 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $82,800,000 after acquiring an additional 150,186 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mosaic during the 4th quarter worth about $1,054,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of Mosaic by 59.5% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 7,682 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $189,000 after buying an additional 2,867 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Mosaic by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 122,893 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,933,000 after buying an additional 1,489 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Mosaic during the 4th quarter worth about $3,599,000. 77.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mosaic Company Profile

The Mosaic Company, through its subsidiaries, produces and markets concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients in North America and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Phosphates, Potash, and Mosaic Fertilizantes. It owns and operates mines, which produce concentrated phosphate crop nutrients, such as diammonium phosphate, monoammonium phosphate, and ammoniated phosphate products; and phosphate-based animal feed ingredients primarily under the Biofos and Nexfos brand names, as well as produces a double sulfate of potash magnesia product under K-Mag brand name.

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